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News & ArtsFriday, February 8, 2013
Visual Art George W. Bush Paints (Terrible) Nude Self-Portraits
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Feb 8, 2013 at 10:57 AM
Dominic mentioned the Bush phone hacking in the Morning News, and there's lots of interesting little tidbits in that Smoking Gun report about the Bush family's relationship with Bill Clinton. But the most amazing thing about that report is the two self-portraits that George W. Bush painted. If you haven't seen them, you really have to. They're both nudes, with one self-portrait showing Bush's back as he regards himself in the shower mirror, and one shot of his legs and feet in the bathtub.
Bush has no grasp of perspective, or anatomy, or what makes a painting interesting to look at, but these paintings are really sort of touching, like art you'd find on the walls at a school for troubled youth. And you can tell he takes his "art" seriously—in the slideshow, there's also a photo of Bush standing proudly next to a cardboard stand-up teasingly depicting him as a cliched artiste, with a moustache, beret, and bespotted with paint blotches all over his body. It's like he's finally trying to be a well-rounded human being.
It's too late for him, of course. His paintings are laughable (if a little eerie in their childlike simplicity) and there's no way he'll ever manage to learn how to give a shit about another human being by doing shitty still-lifes and portraits of his dog. But I like that he's trying. I like that he's become partially self-aware. It means that maybe he'll be able to briefly understand the mess he's made of everything. Maybe after he paints enough self-portraits, for one second he'll be able to see himself as the world sees him. I hope that makes him uncomfortable. I fucking hope that makes him physically ill.
2
He should paint one of himself in a jail cell with a view of Brussels, Belgium out the window bars.
4
This is completely harmless compared to anything he did as President. Keep painting, George, and stay the hell out of public life forever.
5
Self awareness?!? Did you happen to notice his signature on his Barney painting? It's not his name. It's a number referring to his Presidency, 43.
Man is still living in some delusional dimension. Or it's PTSD or some kind of autistic gangsta thing. Whatever it is, it doesn't strike me as a sign of a strong, healthy persona.
Man is still living in some delusional dimension. Or it's PTSD or some kind of autistic gangsta thing. Whatever it is, it doesn't strike me as a sign of a strong, healthy persona.
7
His art actually makes me like him for the first time ever. He's just a dawdling old grandpa now. The bathroom portraits are deliciously Onion-worthy and almost make him absurdly endearing. Two thumbs up for W.
8
@5: Well then, what would you prefer him to do? Sit in library with the shades pulled down and quietly sipping Chamomile tea reading poetry for the rest of his life?
10
Yeah, this is nothing but an opportunity to prove what a dick you are by pissing on his paintings. He kept them far out of the public eye; you had to literally break in to somebody's email to get a glimpse of them. He wasn't hawking shitty art.
I hope anyone thinking about noodling around with art isn't scared off by all the pissant twerps like Constant waiting to pounce with their snide put downs. I've always hated GWB as a politician, but this makes me like him more and dislike Paul Constant, well, about as much as ever. I kind of figured this mean post would follow the news of the paintings, and here it is. Lame.
I hope anyone thinking about noodling around with art isn't scared off by all the pissant twerps like Constant waiting to pounce with their snide put downs. I've always hated GWB as a politician, but this makes me like him more and dislike Paul Constant, well, about as much as ever. I kind of figured this mean post would follow the news of the paintings, and here it is. Lame.
12
Whatever. The snide put downs of these paintings aren't funny, but only because nothing in the world can match the comedic gold of these paintings. Like, this is what I wish that Hitler's paintings were like, but Hitler's paintings were actually just boring landscapes.
14
I think the whole Bush family should give up politics for painting. They're not artists by any means, but they're better painters than politicians.
15
"...I will not raise your income tax, I will not raise your payroll tax...not any of your taxes."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8erePM8V…
16
lol, all these George Bush whiteknights.
The paintings are indeed horrible. If he's interested he could take some life drawing classes, but he's obviously just going to half-ass his painting like he did his presidency.
It's amusing though. I kinda wondered how he squandered his time now. Apparently it's by spending a lot of time in the bathtub drawing pictures of himself. It's like out of a parody or something.
The paintings are indeed horrible. If he's interested he could take some life drawing classes, but he's obviously just going to half-ass his painting like he did his presidency.
It's amusing though. I kinda wondered how he squandered his time now. Apparently it's by spending a lot of time in the bathtub drawing pictures of himself. It's like out of a parody or something.
18
He's clearly masturbating to his own reflection in that shower painting, which is fucking genius!
20
Painting is great therapy. Therapeutic painting gave us the joy of Bob Ross for decades. Many former heads of state, generals, CEO's, etc. take to painting in their retirement. It helps keep their minds focused and hands steady.
I kinda like Dubya's paintings. There's a certain innocence to them.
I kinda like Dubya's paintings. There's a certain innocence to them.
22
Paul,
I get it. You hate GWB and want him "physically ill".
Fine. But, try this on for size, maybe Pres. Obama should take up painting considering he's authorizing the executions of American citizens:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/…
and:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/opinio…
Extraordinary the deafening silence coming from you and the Stranger staff regarding this outrage from the Obama Administration.
I get it. You hate GWB and want him "physically ill".
Fine. But, try this on for size, maybe Pres. Obama should take up painting considering he's authorizing the executions of American citizens:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/…
and:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/opinio…
Extraordinary the deafening silence coming from you and the Stranger staff regarding this outrage from the Obama Administration.
23
W's art is not at all bad. The few paintings we've gotten to see are actually kind of interesting: they are human and kind and oddly dynamic, and they definitely draw you in. Some are intentionally funny - why do critics have such a hard time recognizing humor in art? I'm not the least bit a fan of W's presidency and policies, but his art (which was private and exposed totally against his will) humanizes him tremendously. I like it.
24
I enjoyed this post and I also enjoyed all the comments from the people who didn't enjoy this post.
25
Gotta agree with #10. He's not a painter, he's a retired dude that seems to enjoy painting. Not all of our extracurricular pursuits need to be pro. Shitting on beginners and hobbyists is barely above yelling out car windows at people.
26
I kind of like the George W. Bush paintings, and would be proud to display them in my home, perhaps in the guest bedroom where I wouldn't see them very often.
Also, I would prefer guests not stay long.
Also, I would prefer guests not stay long.
27
holy shit, if this isn't an endorsement for more funding of arts education, i don't know what is...
28
I want him to start seeing himself the way the world sees him, but I want him to do it from his heavily guarded prison cell after his court martial. The rest of his crew can join him.
29
I can't agree that he wanted these paintings 100% private either. Nobody in their right mind who wants to keep something private puts images of it up on the internet, email or Facebook or no. He knew there was a fair chance of them being seen by everybody under the sun the instant he made the decision to make them digital.
31
Artist Kayti Didriksen would be proud of Bush. They have almost identical styles, and both seem to love painting "43" in the nude. If these are his works (and not some publicity scam to make the family appear retired and complacent), he should stay away from drawing, painting or even looking at German Shepards. Most prison inmates take up art or bad tatooing in one way or another, this does not humanize him, this just confirms his creepiness and detached mannor. I will give him credit for trying something positive with oil for a change.
32
I imagine that the millions (yes, literally millions) of people that Bush saved in Africa through his leadership in the fight against AIDS might take issue with your claim that he doesn't give a shit about another human being.
Or are you once again proving yourself to be a shitty person with your claims that Africans aren't human?
So which is it Paul - are you racist or just plain ignorant?
Or are you once again proving yourself to be a shitty person with your claims that Africans aren't human?
So which is it Paul - are you racist or just plain ignorant?
33
You mean Colin Powell's stance on AIDS funding, which Bush used as a bargaining chip to gain Powell's public endorsement for the illegitimate invasion of Iraq? After mandating that a third of the money had to be spent on abstinence-only programs, which don't reduce HIV infections but was good news anyway for the Bush crony picked to coordinate the program, who also happened to be a former head of a major pharmaceutical company. I'm sure any profit stemming from the AIDS relief money was just a coincidence, even though generic medications were fucking PROHIBITED to have money allotted to them until years later. And in the end, he didn't even give Powell as much funding for the programs as he had promised. Is that the "humanitarian" stance you are talking about? Do you think people just pull shit out of their ass because they like to be pissed off at Bush, or is the simpler explanation that people could see through his self-serving war-mongering profits-above-people bullshit year after year and got tired of the price of his administration costing millions of lives to this day? Some people get tired of sacrificing human lives for white-dude greed. (Oh, sorry, am I "racist" now too?) As for Bush being a humanitarian on AIDS, I guess I will agree that yes, Bush did significantly more than the very least he could do. How noble of him.
34
After seeing the paintings, W is a little more round to me. After reading your post, you, Paul, seem like a pretty flat political writer to me.
35
If any of you out there are considering dabbling in the arts might I suggest you don't because you are all probably untalented and unremarkable.
36
There's a story that Nixon told his psychiatrist that when he looked in the mirror, he didn't see anyone there. Now we know what George W sees in the mirror.
37
those paintings are fuckin treasures.
As a reference point check out the work of John Currin [he was widely considered one of the worlds coolest painters like 8 yrs ago] He was/is also a big GWB fan. seriously.
As a reference point check out the work of John Currin [he was widely considered one of the worlds coolest painters like 8 yrs ago] He was/is also a big GWB fan. seriously.
38
I've seen worse: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2…
I have plenty of issues with GWB's administration and his time management (excessive "brush-clearing" at his ranch), but this doesn't have anything to do with my complaints about him. I actually admire him for applying himself to a hobby but not making a big deal about it. There are plenty of people who can't sing trying to do it while drunk, and plenty of writers producing crappy, sex-negative "erotica" in public by comparison.
I have plenty of issues with GWB's administration and his time management (excessive "brush-clearing" at his ranch), but this doesn't have anything to do with my complaints about him. I actually admire him for applying himself to a hobby but not making a big deal about it. There are plenty of people who can't sing trying to do it while drunk, and plenty of writers producing crappy, sex-negative "erotica" in public by comparison.
39
I like you, Paul, and I hate Dubya just as much as the next Seattle liberal, but ripping on someone's amateur paintings is pretty pathetic. So he's a shitty artist, so what? Every good artist started out as a shitty artist.
41
George W. Bush was a terrible president who did terrible things, and I generally think very little of him as a human being.
That being said, hacking someone's private email makes you a dickbag, especially when that person is years out of office and has made an effort to stay relatively out of the limelight since, and when everything you steal from his email is private family stuff and stupid personal paintings. I never in my life thought I would say this, but I'm totally on Dubya's side. OK, I don't know if he has a "side" because I haven't read that he's commented on this, but I don't think his silly paintings have anything to do with anything since he didn't intentionally release them, and I'm highly irritated by the attempts to use them to talk about what a terrible president he was.
Wanna talk about the wars he started that still are going? Cool. Wanna talk about how his legacy affects current politics? Or how he fucked up the economy? Great. But making fun of his silly paintings just makes liberals look like we're stretching to come up with reasons to remind people that he's an ass. And makes some of us look like we're on the side shitbag hackers who have no business in anyone's private email.
That being said, hacking someone's private email makes you a dickbag, especially when that person is years out of office and has made an effort to stay relatively out of the limelight since, and when everything you steal from his email is private family stuff and stupid personal paintings. I never in my life thought I would say this, but I'm totally on Dubya's side. OK, I don't know if he has a "side" because I haven't read that he's commented on this, but I don't think his silly paintings have anything to do with anything since he didn't intentionally release them, and I'm highly irritated by the attempts to use them to talk about what a terrible president he was.
Wanna talk about the wars he started that still are going? Cool. Wanna talk about how his legacy affects current politics? Or how he fucked up the economy? Great. But making fun of his silly paintings just makes liberals look like we're stretching to come up with reasons to remind people that he's an ass. And makes some of us look like we're on the side shitbag hackers who have no business in anyone's private email.
42
The self-portraits, at least, are not terrible. They are sort of naive and outsider-y, but interesting and well-composed. He's a much better painter than he ever was a president.
And I appreciate what J from Oregon, @41 said above: ridiculing his artwork, which he never intended to make public, is a douchebag thing to do.
And I appreciate what J from Oregon, @41 said above: ridiculing his artwork, which he never intended to make public, is a douchebag thing to do.
43
Paul's posts so often reveal more about himself than whomever he is ridiculing. He probably laughs at people dancing, and never dances himself. Sad.
44
@35: I've already dabbled in the arts, thanks. I'm just not stupid enough to upload mine to the internet for all to see.
45
I'm pretty sure W. is one of the few humans we can endlessly mock until the end of time and it will never offset his crimes against taste and humanity.
47
The other painterly person mentioned here, Adolph Hitler, tried to sell his paintings for profit as a youth. Information is how a market grows. Life is full of surprises. George never thought his friends would hate him enough to slam planes into World Trade Centers and fire a missile at the Pentagon and Adolph never dreamed Germany would love him enough to attack Belgium and kill a handful of millions of Jews. As Blake said, The hapless soldier's sigh runs in blood down palace walls.
48
You know, you're kind of a fucking asshole, Paul.
I will never be a fan of Bush's politics or his art. But still.
I will never be a fan of Bush's politics or his art. But still.
49
You know, you're kind of a fucking asshole, Paul.
I will never be a fan of Bush's politics or his art. But still.
I will never be a fan of Bush's politics or his art. But still.
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